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Statins 'work despite cholesterol and CRP levels'

Statins still work to protect against strokes and heart attacks, even when patients have normal LDL bad cholesterol and little systematic inflation, a study has shown.

Research, published in The Lancet, investigated the hypothesis that patients with higher levels of inflammation-marker C-reactive protein (CRP) benefit most from treatment with statins and subsequently, those with normal cholesterol and low CRP may not benefit.

It was found that the risk reduction of stroke or heart attack in those treated with statins was about the same, regardless of CRP or LDL cholesterol levels.

Jonathan Emberson, researcher, told WebMD: "CRP may be useful to help a physician understand a patient's absolute risk along with other characteristics like age, sex, blood pressure, and blood lipids."

"But this analysis tells us that a normal CRP doesn't necessarily mean a statin won't be beneficial."

Meanwhile, neurologists from Loyola University Health System have warned that the incidence of age-related neurological conditions such as stroke will increase as the population ages.